Coach Otto Addo has justified Mubarak Wakaso’s call-up to his Black Stars squad for the June fixtures.
The 31-year-old central midfielder last played on September 6, 2021 when Ghana hosted and beat South Africa 1-0 to advance to the playoffs of the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.
Since then Wakaso has not played for both his Chinese club Shenzhen FC and the national team due to injury.
Counting on his experience, former coach Milovan Rajevac took a gamble and included the 67 times capped player in his squad for the 2021 Afcon but he could not recover in time before Ghana suffered a group stage exit.
Despite his lack of action for the past 7 months, Wakaso got a look in and has been backed for the experience and quality he possesses.
“We have some experienced players who showed that they have the quality.
“How did you find [Wakaso’s] performance when we beat South Africa 1-0? Okay, so this is the answer,” Addo responded to a concern expressed by many in his press conference ahead of Ghana’s opening game in the 2023 Afcon qualifiers.
Ghana will host Madagascar on Wednesday, June 1 at Cape Coast Sports Stadium before traveling to face the Central African Republic four days later.
The Black Stars will then compete in a four-nation tournament against Japan, Chile, and Tunisia as part of preparations for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in November.
